Geographical Regions of Europe: The Mediterranean South

Topographically, the south of Europe is dominated by young, rugged mountains, many peaks of which are over 10,000 feet (3,000 meters) in elevation. Plains and lowlands make up only a small fraction of its total area. By far the most extensive lowland is the Po Valley of northern Italy. The Mediterranean basin occupies a transitional zone between the mild, moist climate of western Europe and the hot, dry climate of North Africa. Indeed, its climate may be thought of as a seasonal blend of the two. In winter, when the Azores high-pressure area is displaced to the south, the region receives almost its total annual precipitation, whereas in summer the northern displacement of the Azores high results in a prolonged period of drought. The alternation of rainy winters and dry summers produces a scrubby, xerophytic (drought-resistant) vegetation type known as maquis.

Soils, too, reflect these extremes of moisture, being leached of their minerals and soluble nutrients in winter and baked to an almost brick-like consistency in summer. They belong to the soil group known as laterites, and their inherent fertility is low. The most productive soils in the region are found in alluvial river valleys or developed on volcanic materials, as in the vicinity of Vesuvius and Etna in the south of Italy.

Southern Europe is basically poor in the minerals required by heavy industry, and consequently its industrial development has lagged behind that of the better endowed countries elsewhere on the continent. Spain is the most richly endowed, having, for example, both coal and iron in the north. Italy has some oil and natural gas and, like Greece, rather extensive deposits of bauxite, while Portugal has some tungsten. European Turkey has no appreciable mineral resources. Spain and Italy have the largest hydroelectric potential—that of Spain being concentrated chiefly in the Pyrenees, and of Italy in the Alps. Most of the region's timber is found in these cooler, moister areas.

Southern Europe has been so long settled and is so densely populated relative to its resource base that it was once the poorest per capita of all the regions in Europe. However, industrialization after World War II has raised per capita income in Italy above that of any country in eastern Europe (excluding the former Soviet Union), and in Spain and even Greece above the levels of most east European countries. Tourism has become an important adjunct to the economy of the entire southern region, as more affluent northern and western Europeans have come to appreciate its sunny climate, scenic beaches, and historic monuments.

With its relatively dense population and early urban beginnings, southern Europe contains seven of Europe's 18 conurbations of more than 2 million inhabitants, according to uniform criteria established by the U.S. Bureau of the Census for purposes of world comparisons. However, the region has few urban areas of 1 to 2 million population. The largest centers are: Istanbul, Turkey (including Asian suburbs); Milan, Italy; Madrid and Barcelona, Spain; Athens, Greece; and Rome and Naples, Italy.